This picture of Mark and Virginia Gennis with Representative Gwen Moore says it all about the annual convention the Democratic Party of Wisconsin held on June 5 and 6! By wearing their patriot gear (with t-shirts proclaiming "Progressive Patriots from OZ aukee"), they announce that we progressives are proud patriots and will not cede the use of that term to the so-called Tea Party. And they show how much fun a large gathering of like-minded Wisconsin citizens can be.

We heard great speeches from several of our shining stars, including Gwen Moore and Russ Feingold. And we elected a new chair, Martha Laning, to lead us out of the wilderness.

Now it's time to start the ground work for the next elections, beginning in February, April, and August, and concluding in November 2016. All of these elections are vital if we are going to build a deep bench of new leaders. We need to elect progressives to school boards; city, village, and county governing bodies; state level offices; and federal representatives plus a new(ish) US Senator. And of course a new president and vice president.

Here's how: sign up to offer housing to a delegate to the Democratic Party of Wisconsin Annual Convention, Friday and Saturday, June 5 & 6.

Some delegates will be traveling pretty far from other areas of the state and find the price of hotels at and near the convention site (the Potawatomi Hotel and Casino) pretty steep. Let's open our homes to these visitors, support progressives from across the state, and build some alliances to help all of us get Wisconsin back on a progressive track.

Senator Kathleen Vinehout released a memo on April 1 outlining a number of largely unnoticed and under-reported changes to Wisconsin's governance, among them

removing state funds to pay for the reciprocity agreement between Wisconsin and Minnesota that allows students from across state lines to attend public universities at in-state tuition costs;

abolishing the Educational Approval Board that sets standards for and examines details of curriculum and facilities of the for-profit colleges operating in Wisconsin;

moving the information technology functions of the non-partisan Government Accountability Board to the Department of Administration (that is overseen by the governor's political appointee), risking the integrity of the state's voter file as well as the reporting system for disclosing campaign donations, lobbying activity and the financial relationships of elected or appointed officials.

When the convention for the Wisconsin Democratic Party comes to town Friday and Saturday, June 5 and 6, a lot of delegates will be staying at the convention site (the Potawatomi Hotel) and other nearby venues. But the rooms can be very expensive, and may be in short supply. And that's where you come in.

We're looking for people who are willing to provide housing for out-of-town delegates, usually just for a night or two but possibly as many as three. If you have a guest room, or even a couch or floor that could accommodate some of the younger and spryer folks who might be coming, just fill in a form on our Host a Delegate page. In early May and then on May 16, I will send information about accommodations to the chairs of the county parties (none of the info you provide will be published or accessible to anyone else). The chairs and/or their designees will help match up delegates needing lodging with people who have signed up to host.

It's really a simple way to make sure everyone who wants to participate in party governance can do so without huge expense. And it's also a way for Milwaukee area progressives to meet some of their peers from other parts of the state. A true win-win.

Below is a summary of the state budget prepared by the Democratic members of the Joint Finance Committee.

2015-17 STATE BUDGET AT A GLANCEUpdated March 13, 2015

Gov. Walker’s fiscally irresponsible “Cut and Borrow” policies are preventing economic growth and holding Wisconsin families back. As we work to responsibly balance the state budget, Democrats want to put Wisconsin families first and increase economic opportunities by strengthening our schools, investing in infrastructure and creating quality jobs.

K-12 EDUCATION

Reduces state support for education and forces local public schools to reduce per pupil spending by $150 on average in the 2015-16 school year.

Takes funding directly from local public schools to pay for the statewide expansion of Gov. Walker’s taxpayer-subsidized private school voucher program.

Removes local control of schools by creating an unaccountable and unelected statewide charter school board.

Provides $6.7 million in additional funding for rural sparsity and high cost transportation aid.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Cuts $300 million from UW schools and forces layoffs across the state.

Converts the UW System to a public authority model and allows the new UW System Authority to increase tuition.

Fails to fully fund the Wisconsin GI Bill which provides veterans and active duty members of the armed services with an education at UW and Technical College schools.

Eliminates public oversight and makes Wisconsin the only state without student protections at for-profit colleges.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Merges the WEDC and WHEDA agencies into a new quasi-private authority, the Forward Wisconsin Development Authority, and removes legislative oversight.

Removes the requirement that the Forward Wisconsin Development Authority be financially audited by the Legislative Audit Bureau –– the non-partisan agency that uncovered the WEDC’s past fiscal mismanagement.

Voting in Wisconsin has just become more complicated for everyone and may be quite daunting for some otherwise eligible voters.

Our job now is to mobilize as many people as we can

to find registered voters who lack an acceptable photo ID and help them acquire one;

to register new voters and help them with obtaining the documents they will need.

Here's what you can do:

Sign up as a volunteer for voter registration. In the comments section, tell us how you would like Grassroots North Shore to organize and support voter registration efforts.

Beginning with an election occurring after April 7, 2015, every Wisconsin voter will be required to show "an acceptable photo ID" at the polling place. The rules for "acceptable" IDs can be somewhat complicated but here's what the Government Accountability Board specifies:

A Wisconsin DOT-issued driver license, even if driving privileges are revoked or suspended

A Wisconsin DOT-issued identification card

A Military ID card issued by a U.S. uniformed service

A U.S. passport

The four forms of ID listed above must have an expiration date after November 7, 2014. They do not have to have the current address of the voter on them.

A certificate of naturalization that was issued not earlier than two years before the date of an election at which it is presented

An unexpired driving receipt issued by Wisconsin DOT

An unexpired identification card receipt issued by Wisconsin DOT

An identification card issued by a federally recognized Indian tribe in Wisconsin

An unexpired identification card issued by a Wisconsin-accredited university or college that contains the following:

Date of issuance

Signature of student

Expiration date not later than two years after date of issuance

Student must also provide proof of enrollment with ID

Wisconsin law requires the Department of Transportation to provide free ID cards to any individual who will be at least 18 years of age on the date of the next election and who requests a free ID for the purpose of voting.

Due to the need to provide a birth certificate and other documents to receive a DOT-issued ID, individuals should start the process of obtaining a statutory identification well in advance of an election at which they wish to vote.

The Department of Transportation's website specifies what it takes to get a Wisconsin ID from the Department of Transportation. And thanks to an "administrative tweak" the Wisconsin Supreme Court provided when it ruled on the Voter ID law, DMV offices are supposed to be able to locate verifying documents such as birth certificates for applicants at no cost. But it may take some time for the verification process. That's why it's vital that we begin NOW to work with citizens to ensure that everyone eligible to vote will be able to vote in the next election.

Complicating matters further, DMV offices have limited hours. In Milwaukee, DMV service centers are generally open from 8:30-4:45 on weekdays. The Milwaukee-Southwest service Center, at 5500 W. Grange Avenue in Greendale, has Saturday morning hours from 8:30am - noon. In Ozaukee County, the Saukville service center is closed on Mondays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, it is open from 8:45am - 4:pm; on Wednesdays, it is open from 12:30pm - 6:00pm.

Paul Adair is a 21-year Germantown resident, retired scientist, writer, and lecturer. His blog post was originally published on March 8, 2015 on GermantownNow and is republished here by permission.

Last week, Right-to-Freeload was jammed through the legislature in an "extraordinary" session. Elected officials, who claim to represent you, took an active roll in passing this bill that will likely lower your salary and benefits. Alberta Darling cast the deciding vote in the State Senate and Dan Knodlwas responsible for shoving the bull bill through Assembly committee .

All that is left is for Scott Walker to make a brief Monday stop-over in Wisconsin to sign the bill, which he says that he will do. Walker's decision to enact Right-to-Freeload comes after a long history of misdirection, evasion, and prevarication on the issue.

This website is provided by the Grassroots North Shore, a Wisconsin PAC, Dean Sperry, Treasurer. It is not authorized by any candidate or candidate's agent or committee. Contributions to Grassroots North Shore are not tax deductible.